Andrew Wiggins

• 1. Born In Toronto

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  Andrew Christian Wiggins arrived in the world on the 23rd of February 1995. He entered life in Toronto, Ontario, before his family settled in Vaughan, a neighborhood within Thornhill. His parents brought athletic pedigrees to the household. Mitchell Wiggins played professional basketball in the NBA. Marita Payne-Wiggins competed as an Olympic sprinter for Canada and hails from Barbados. They met while attending Florida State University as student athletes.

  The young boy began organized play at age nine. He joined an under-10 team in Toronto that same year. At thirteen years old, he dunked a basketball for the first time. A year later, he grew tall enough to shatter a glass backboard after dunking on a rim at the Dufferin Clark Community Centre in Vaughan.

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• 2. High School Dominance

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  Wiggins attended Vaughan Secondary School during his sophomore year of high school. The 2010, 11 season saw him lead the school's AAAA basketball team to a 44, 1 record. That run culminated in winning the Ontario provincial championship. In the title game, he scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds despite chants of "Over-rated!" echoing from the crowd.

  In 2011, he transferred to Huntington Prep School located in Huntington, West Virginia. During his junior season, he averaged 24.2 points per game alongside 8.5 rebounds. As a senior, those numbers shifted slightly to 23.4 points and 11.2 rebounds. On the 7th of February 2013, he responded to criticism by scoring 57 points in a win over Marietta College. He earned the 2013 Naismith Prep Player of the Year award on February 25.

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• 3. Rookie Of The Year

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  Wiggins declared for the 2014 NBA draft on the 31st of March 2014. Cleveland Cavaliers selected him first overall on the 26th of June 2014. This made him only the second Canadian ever chosen number one in an NBA draft after Anthony Bennett. An August 23 trade sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Thaddeus Young. He became just the second player since the ABA, NBA merger to be drafted first yet traded before playing a single game for the selecting team.

  His NBA debut occurred on the 29th of October 2014 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Wiggins scored six points in that 105, 101 loss. He earned Rookie of the Month honors in the Western Conference for the first two months of the season. On April 30, officials named him the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2014, 15 campaign. He had previously won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP by scoring 22 points for Team World.

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• 4. Scoring Milestones

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  On the 7th of November 2015, Wiggins scored a game-high 31 points in overtime against the Chicago Bulls. Two days later he tied his career high with 33 points versus the Atlanta Hawks. That marked his first consecutive 30-point games. On December 18, he recorded 32 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Sacramento Kings. This made him one of only four players aged 20 or younger to post such stats since 2000.

  the 8th of November 2016 saw him score a career-high 36 points while hitting six three-pointers against Brooklyn Nets. Five days later he set a new peak with 47 points in a win over Los Angeles Lakers. That performance made him the first Canadian-born player to score 40-plus points in an NBA game. By February 14, he had back-to-back 40-point efforts against Cleveland and Denver. On the 11th of October 2017, he signed a five-year contract extension worth $148 million with Minnesota.

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• 5. Championship Run

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  Wiggins joined the Golden State Warriors on the 6th of February 2020 via trade. He scored 24 points and grabbed five steals in his debut loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The team finished with a 15, 50 record that season. In Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Wiggins posted 17 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Boston Celtics. He logged another double-double in Game 5 with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

  The Warriors defeated the Celtics in six games to secure his first championship. Wiggins averaged 18.3 points and 8.8 rebounds during those finals while playing stifling defense on Jayson Tatum. On the 27th of January 2022, he became a Western Conference starter for the All-Star Game. This marked his first selection after being the third first-time All-Star voted as a starter in his eighth season or later since 1966.

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• 6. International Duty

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  Wiggins participated in the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship alongside teammate Anthony Bennett. Canada won a bronze medal in that tournament. During the 2012 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, he led the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game. That performance included 7.6 rebounds per contest.

  On the 20th of August 2015, he joined the Canadian national roster for the FIBA Americas Championship. The squad won bronze while qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Wiggins led the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game and earned an All-Tournament Team spot. He rejoined the squad for the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament where he averaged 21.7 points across three contests.

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